


A Cat Named Lion

by Kaoru_chibimaster



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cats, Crack, FFXV kinkmeme, M/M/M, Magic Mishaps, Multi, cuteness, kid noctis - Freeform, non explicit prompt, not super shippy but it's there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 16:06:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11695176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoru_chibimaster/pseuds/Kaoru_chibimaster
Summary: “Clarus, I wanted to try something.”“Oh? And what’s that, Regis?”“Go find Cor and I’ll show you.”





	A Cat Named Lion

**Author's Note:**

> Cute Cor prompts need to happen more often. [This is the prompt in question.](https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/4113.html?thread=6065681#cmt6065681)
> 
> I also want to mention that writing small children is rather difficult when you’re not around them constantly. My little sister is turning ten this year, one of my nieces is an infant and the other hasn’t even been born yet, so I had to wing it a bit with smol!Noct.

Cor was sure he was going to kill someone. He didn’t know how, he didn’t know who, and he didn’t know when. But he was on a search and destroy mission.

As soon as he figured out how to get down from the windowsill.

Well, he was a cat right? Cats could get down from high places easily, right? He’d just land on his feet, he was sure.

He glanced down with large, wide eyes at the ground. It was as if it grew further away.

Curse the staff member that thought it’d be cute to put him up there. And while he was at it, curse Regis and his so-called “amusing magic tricks”. He was the king for the gods sakes! How he’d let his shield egg him into experimenting with the crystal’s magic, he had yet to comprehend. It was even more baffling how they both came to the conclusion that Cor Leonis, _the_ Immortal Cor Leonis, was the perfect guinea pig.

At the ripe age of twenty-nine, The Immortal Cor Leonis was seriously contemplating breaking up with both of his lovers.

How dare they turn him into a cat?

Granted, no one was entirely sure what would happen when Regis mixed up the magic flask and let it loose, but that was even more reason not to test it on a human being as far as Cor was concerned. Now he couldn’t even call himself that.

Huffing…chuffing(?) through his nose, Cor glanced back up the hallway. No one. It was empty. No one would help him down.

Well, he’d never gotten anywhere being afraid. He took a leap of faith, hopping down from the windowsill…and landing on his feet. Well. That was easy. Now he only needed to figure out how to walk on all fours.

With wobbly limbs, he managed to figure out the pattern rather quickly. One foot in front of the other…while the other foot went in front of the other. It required a surprising amount of coordination and Cor only had his tail to thank for the extra balance that kept him from falling flat on his fuzzy little face. He had a new respect for quadrupeds.

Trotting down the hall, Cor made a beeline for the elevator, intent on finding his way back up to Regis’ study to convince the man to change him back. He didn’t care if he had to meow at him all night, he’d get his way somehow. Why he’d let Clarus kick him out, not literally thankfully, when he’d announced Regis had work to do, he had no clue but he’d been cuddled and carried and passed around enough by members of the crownsguard and he was ready to finally head back to the study and demand his old body back.

Though he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to show his face once he did. The few crownsguard that had heard the commotion had likely let it spread around now that Cor had been turned into a cat, judging by the number of them that hid, giggling, behind their phones as they took pictures of him. He’d become the house joke, the new… _meme_. Cat Leonis they called him, chortling and cackling. He’d show them. Once he changed back, they’d be doing double duty in all of their training exercises.

No, he wasn’t being unreasonable!

His gait had slowed to a stalk now, vengeful thoughts running through his mind. He’d lost track of his surroundings as a result, so it was no surprise when he was eventually snuck up on.

“Kitty!”

Cor jumped at the excited voice, his hair puffing up and his back arching. His ears pulled back against his head before he’d managed to get a hold of himself, but he slowly reined in his reaction when he realized the source of the voice.

Noctis.

Well this wouldn’t turn out well. At four years old, the prince’s fascination with his surroundings had yet to quell. He still got excited over new or different things. He still fell head over heels for animals in particular. _Cats_ in particular. What with the small number of cats that tended to hang around the citadel, he’d grown used to going up to them and petting or holding them.

With that thought in mind, Cor resigned himself to his fate right then and there.

Noctis had a forefinger stuffed in his mouth, a bad habit that Regis had yet to get him to kick, which he pulled out slowly as he pattered up to Cor. Crouching down, he reached out that same hand, wet finger and all, to Cor to run through his hair. Cor sighed internally as his coat was pulled at a little too roughly by fingers that didn’t yet know their strength. Noctis amused himself with petting Cor for a few moments, before finally pulling his hand away. Cor wondered, futilely, if that was the end of it.

When Noctis picked him up, he knew it wasn’t.

The child stared at him for a moment, unusually serious, before he seemed to come to a decision.

“I’m gonna call you Lion,” he nodded. If Cor could make faces, he was sure his would be disgruntled. Of all the names…

Noctis was four, however. He didn’t care. He was going to name a cat whatever he pleased, and so for the moment Cor was going to be _Lion_. And as he was gathered into the prince’s arms and carried off to who knows where, he realized he was going to be Lion for quite some time.

-o-

“Look, I found a kitty!” Noctis shouted at yet another staff member. Cor did his best to seem as confrontational as possible so as to drive off anyone else who wanted to try and pet him. He was still slightly miffed by being held in the hands of a four year old that only barely learned how to use the toilet properly _and_ wash his hands after, so he didn’t really want anyone else touching him. Thankfully, this staff member, a maid of the upper floors, only bent over and smiled warmly at the prince.

“Oh? Found yourself another cat, your highness? Is he a new friend of yours?” she asked. Good. She didn’t seem to know who ‘Lion’ really was. He was already dreading the insubordination he’d face from the crownsguard once he turned back, he didn’t need to hear lip from the citadel staff on top of it.

And he was beyond certain Regis and Clarus were still laughing about this.

“He’s not _my_ cat,” the little prince answered, shifting Cor slightly in his arms to stick a finger back in his mouth. Bless young children, truly, but Cor was so glad he had none and never planned to in the future. Their hygienic habits made his skin crawl. He’d reprimand the prince for such an action, but he doubted meowing at the boy would’ve done much. So he settled for his continued efforts to look grumpy. The maid observed Cor for a moment, frowning at his gruff demeanor, before speaking to Noctis again.

“Well then, your highness, it might be best to find who he belongs to and give him back. After all, I’m sure his owners would be happy to have him back, don’t you agree?” she asked, her smile tight now. Cor bristled at the word ‘owner’ and narrowed his eyes at the implications behind her words. He only wanted to seem mean to others, after all. He wouldn’t dare harm the prince.

“Okay,” was all Noctis had to say to that. Which, Cor knew, truly meant ‘you can’t tell me what to do and I’m keeping him, but I’ll agree because I’m not allowed to argue with grown ups’. He knew what the prince got up to when Regis wasn’t looking. Cor wondered how, despite his aversions to small children, he always ended up being the one chasing after them when their parents were occupied. When it wasn’t Noctis, it was Gladiolus with his adventurous spirit and love of the outdoors. And on top of that, Clarus’ wife (arranged and entirely in approval of her husband’s love life) wanted another child soon. Cor could preemptively add that one to the list. Thank the gods Ignis was such a well behaved child.

He could only hope he wasn’t still a cat by the time he had to see either of those children again. Or worse, Clarus’ new child once the time came.

Considering Noctis’ iron grip on him though, Cor was certain he’d be a cat for some time yet. Noctis carried him through the halls of the citadel, shouting excitedly about his ‘new friend’ to every staff member and crownsguard he came across. One of the older members even pulled out his phone and took a picture of Noctis holding Cor, his finger pulled out of his mouth for only that moment as he smiled toothily at the device. Cor glared at it. He was sure the crownsguard knew it too, judging by his tiny, smug smile. Right. Extra laps in the training yard for him.

When Noctis wasn’t running across people in the halls, he used the alone time to speak to Cor. His voice was too loud, his inability to use inside words apparent, and his sentences trailed off topic often, but Cor didn’t really mind the chatter all too much. Prince Noctis was a well-known chatterbox anyway.

“—and I told Marie that I didn’t want carrots but she said they were good for me but I think they’re icky so I told her no but she said I can’t tell her no because Dad said I have to eat them but I didn’t want to eat them—”

Half of Noctis’ words were genuinely unintelligible to Cor, partially due to his tendency to run his words together. He listened anyway. He wouldn’t lie to himself, he would have listened even if he wasn’t literally stuck in the prince’s arms. The kid could be charming when he wasn’t wreaking havoc. And complaining about his own picky eating habits.

“Mrow,” was all Cor could do to answer. He found responding to Noctis kept him comfortable, allowing the words to easily flow from his mouth and his fingers to stay out of it.

“You know.” Ah. Another change of subject. This would be the fifth. “I wish I had a cat. There’s so many around my house but I can’t have any of them.”

Cor knew Noctis would call the citadel his ‘house’ only because he couldn’t pronounce the word ‘citadel’. He’d get there eventually. He’d not long ago finally gotten past the point of mispronouncing three as ‘free’.

“I want a cat to hug a lot. Do you wanna be my cat Lion?”

Another meow from Cor. What else could he ‘say’? He wasn’t going to be a cat forever.

“I could ask Dad,” Noctis continued. If Cor’s face could light up, it would have. It seemed he’d found his easy ticket back to Regis’ study. Now he wouldn’t have to wander the halls, maneuvering through the dozens of hands that wanted to pick him up and pet him as he attempted to sneak up to the upper levels. Not that he hadn’t spent half an hour being carried by a small child as he wandered the halls, but still.

Cor meowed incessantly, pawing excitedly at Noctis’ face and causing the boy to giggle. He hugged Cor tighter to himself (Six, that was a strong grip; Cor hoped it could be channeled properly when Noctis came of age to start training) and trotted off in the direction of the elevators. An attendant stood before one, smiling and bowing to Noctis as the prince told him what floor he was headed for. When Noctis shuffled onto the elevator, the attendant with him to ensure he wasn’t alone, Cor all but sagged with relief.

He only hoped Regis had a way to turn him back once he got there.

When Noctis stepped off the elevator, shifting Cor again to wave goodbye to the attendant, he made a beeline to his father’s office, excited at the prospect of gaining a new pet. It was rather adorable how enthusiastic he was, in Cor’s opinion. He’d bring it up to Regis when he could that maybe Noct deserved a pet of his own. Though Cor highly doubted Noctis would be the one taking care of it and sent a silent apology to Noctis’ nursemaid. The poor woman was the next and most sensible candidate, after all.

Counting the doors as he went, Noctis finally reached his father’s study. He knocked on the door, as was proper, and waited just patiently enough that he wasn’t being a bother. He still bounced on his feet and there was that damn finger being stuck in his mouth again. When the door opened, his face brightened at the sight of his father. Cor’s didn’t. Cor still remembered that this man was the reason he was a cat in the first place. Cor was understandably upset.

“Dad! I found this cat and I named him Lion and I took him around with me and he became my new friend and I wanna know if I can keep him please?”

Noctis’ words went by so fast that Cor had a bit of trouble keeping up. It was a miracle that Regis seemed to understand that entire mess of a sentence. He glanced down at Cor, a sly look in his green eyes, before smiling gently at his son.

“Now Noct, you can’t just go taking cats from the halls and claiming them as your own.” He kneeled down in front of Noctis then, holding out his hands for Cor. “Here. I’ll take him and we’ll find his rightful owner.”

Noctis pouted, but reluctantly relented Cor over to Regis’ arms. Regis’ smile softened even more and he patted his son’s hair, ruffling it a bit.

“Why don’t you go find Ignis and invite him to play with you? Gods know he could use a break from his studies,” he offered. The prince’s eyes lit up again, his upset over the loss of his potential new pet dissipated, and he nodded before prancing off, grinning and shouting “Iggy!” through the halls. Cor turned to face Regis, silently staring him down. The king only smirked.

“Time to change you back, I’d say. Wouldn’t you agree?”

-o-

Finally returned to his proper state, Cor stood with his arms crossed as his lovers attempted to fuss over him. Keyword: attempted. They were also barely hiding snorts and snickers behind the backs of hands and the turning of heads. Regis, grinning, placed a hand on his upper back, rubbing between his shoulder blades in what Cor assumed was a soothing gesture. It wasn’t working. He was still pissed.

“Are…” a small snort. “Are you alright now, Cor?” Regis asked. He bit his lip to hold in yet another wave of laughter.

“Or should we call you Lion,” Clarus asked from Cor’s other side, an arm around Cor’s waist, fingers gripping the fabric of his jacket as Clarus also attempted to hold in the chuckles. It was futile. His words broke the dam, and both men howled with laughter. Cor’s face only grew more severe.

Regis wiped at his eyes. “Come now, love, it was all in good fun,” he chuckled. Cor would love to see Regis get turned into a cat and carted around by his four year old. Then he’d see if it was still fun.

“There’s no need to pout, Cor. Regis wasn’t planning on letting you stay that way forever,” Clarus cackled.

Oh, Cor was certain of that. King or no, he would have had words with Regis for even entertaining the thought of letting him stay that way. Preferably with his claws.

And Cor wasn’t pouting.

“Such an ugly frown doesn’t suit you,” Regis continued, still joking around. “Here, I’ll make it better.” He leaned in and Cor petulantly turned his face away, which only sent the other two into more raucous laughter. Grimacing, Cor shook both of them off of him, though neither seemed to mind much as they were too busy having a grand time making fun of him. In time, Cor would look back on this day and he too would join them in their merriment. Probably.

But right now he was still pissed.

Sighing, he turned to face his king.

“Regis,” he started. Regis quieted down, though the corners of his eyes still crinkled with laugh lines, and gave Cor his attention. Clarus quieted as well, curious as to what Cor had to say.

“Regis…” he tried again.

“Yes, Cor?” he asked, eyebrows raised as he silently encouraged Cor to continue. Cor sighed again.

“You really ought to give that boy his own cat.”


End file.
